16 Oct

 

  • Early Years Connect - Oct Issue

  • CPD - Monday, 30 October

  • ESF Photoshoot Update

  • ESF Priorities & EY Strategy

  • Zac's Success Story

  • ESF Student Support Service Team

  • Staff Calendar

Morning everyone, last week before mid-term! Several ESF-wide info sharing this week; please take a few moments to read through the info. 


Early Years Connect - Oct Issue

Following the Toddle TIES conference, there's lots to share! From 'moving stories' to The Learning Pit, and many thinking points from the brilliant Alfie Kohn in between. We explore the idea of what choice really means, and how voting ≠ democracy in the classroom. Click here to read the Oct issue of EY Connect. 


CPD - Monday, 30 October

Morning Session - IB Evaluation To-do (IB requirement)

Ahead of our CPD day on 30 October, where we will be doing some IB evaluation preparation, please check that you have a MyIB account, which we will be using to access documents on the day. If you need to create one, here is a video tutorial on how to do so. Please let Brenda know if you're having any trouble, and ensure you have this done before the term break. 


Afternoon session - Selective Mutism PD (30 October, 12.30 - 3.30pm)

Clinical psychologist, Dr Melissa Giglio, a leading psychologist in Hong Kong specialising in the therapy of Selective Mutism (SM) will provide an introductory overview of Selective mutism in children 3 - 5 years old, highlighting approaches to address anxious behaviour and nurturing positive interactions.  


Kindly complete this questionnaire to help her prepare for the session.


I wanted to share a resource that I recently came across, which could support our understanding and approach towards supporting children with Selective Mutism - Toolkit for Educators from the Selective Mutism Association. 


ESF Photoshoot Update

The ESF marketing team/ photographers will come for the morning session on 9 November. Barbara will kindly assist them in moving around that morning. The photos will be used for internal or external use, such as celebrating accomplishments, professional development materials, visual content for campus materials, or general marketing and communication.

I suggest removing the children's name badges as they don't always remember to blur out their names in the past. I'll also send an additional parent consent out to parents to seek permission. 


ESF Priorities & EY Strategy

Please take a look at the slides Belinda shared with principals for an idea of the ESF priorities. I want to highlight the Early Years Strategy as a priority focus, intending to bridge teaching and learning from K1 to Y2. I'm sure many kindergarten colleagues would welcome this step forward. 


With Hillside and Bradbury situated together, we will naturally enhance collaboration and connections between the two schools. For example, our K2s visiting their Y2s as play provocations for the next unit. Kate also welcomes us to use their playground, especially the area connected to ours. If teachers have any ideas or suggestions, please bring them forward for the group to explore. 


I was next door for a meeting and saw many of the Y1s - Saskia, Si Yang, and Jeremy, to name a few. The class teachers said they were doing well and were very proud of them. They all looked so confident and capable (and tall) that I thought I was in a Y2 classroom!


With the Early Years Strategy, I want to share that the ESF is planning an Early Years Conference in February 2024 (K1 - Y3, for teachers and EAs). Key themes emerging from discussions include understanding high-quality early education, the importance of play, experiential learning, wellbeing, transdisciplinary inquiry, social-emotional regulation, networking opportunities, inclusivity, and the potential for outdoor learning experiences. Watch this space!


Here's a kindergarten-primary success story - huge thank you for all the hard work - it's truly worth celebrating together!

Thank you everyone who supported Zac while he was at Hillside. Glenealy shared the following Zac’s transition to Glenealy which shows how wonderfully he is doing. Keep up the great work Team Hillside!


ESF Student Support Service Team

See attached for the introduction of the ESF Student Support Team assigned to Hillside.

Cathay McSweeny you already know. Steffanie Ho is a new Ed Psych joining ESF and will be working with our ARP cases. Tracey Chitty and Jaap Marsman will provide advisory support in their respective roles. 


Upcoming Dates

Please do check our internal calendar below as we might forget to remind everyone of odd dates, but we will add events to the calendar as soon as it's confirmed. Here's the full 2023/24 Calendar 


Thank you!